Improved hammock-cot



UNITED STATES PATENT @Eric-E.

J. o. DAY, or JEEsEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVED HAMMOCK-COT.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No` 36,768, dated October 2S, 1862- To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J. C. DAY, of Jersey City, county of Hudson, State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Army Ham1 mock-Cot; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, in which-- Figure l is a side or elevation view of the cot erected for use. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the cot erected for use. Fig. 3 is a cop view of four cots arranged to occupy a Wall-tent. Fig. 4 is a side view of a post of the proper shape.

The letter A refers to the canvas.

B refers to the binding and looping rope.

G refers to the posts.

D refers to the cord around top of the posts.

E refers to the loops at the c orners.

F refers to the half-hitch around the posts.

G refers to the shoulder on the posts.

. I-I refers to the halfhitch to the cord around the top of the posts.

I refers to the ground on which the cot and tent stands.

K refers'to the wrapping-cord around the loops at corners.

L L in Fig. 3 only refer to the bars sustaining the head and foot of the four cots in the wall-tent.

M M in Fig. 3 only refer to the braces be tween the posts.

The nature of my invention consists in the construction of an army hammock-cot of canvas and rope in such form and weight as the soldier can easily carry and erect for use with the addition of such materials as are usually at hand, so as to keep him from the ground and give him colnfortable rest, and also to admit of the use therewith of his india-rubber blankets or other portable material for shelter.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use .my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

I take for a mediumsized hammoclrcot a piece of canvas, A, Fig. 2, eighty inches in length and thirty-three inches in width; also a cord or rope five-eighth of an inch in diameter, twenty-four feet in length. rI he ends of the rope are first spliced together. The splice is placed at the center of a side. The edge is turned over the rope and firmly sewed to the canvas inside, and also to the rope to prevent its slipping or changing place. The part of the rope opposite the splice is now placed in the middle of the opposite side of the canvas, the edge ot' which is turned over and sewed to the canvas, as above, and also to the rope. The middle of the two portions of the rope at the ends of the canvas are placed at the middle of the ends, the edge of the canvas turned over and sewed to the canvas and the rope.. The binding of the canvas over the rope can now be completed, andthe surplus left at the corners. A sm all binding-@0rd,K, can be wrapped around the cords at their junction at the corners of the canvas. Four posts, C `C C C, fourv feet in length, round, two inches in diameter at the top, tapering to three inches diameter thirty inches from the top, and thence tapering toa point, as seen in Fig. 4. These posts, if not furnished by Government, can be readily made by the soldier of saplings, rails, 85e. These posts should be driven into the ground eighteen inches at least, the upper part inclined outwardly, so that even when strained by the cot they may still incline outwardly. The posts C C, as seen in Fig. l, haveashouL der, G, to prevent the loops E E E E from slipping down the posts. If the loops are passed around the posts, forming the halfhitch H H, no shoulder is required, and the head of the cot can be adjusted at any height to suit the head; or the whole cot can be lev eled to suit the ground.

The posts G C in Fig. l are shown extending above the canvas A, to enable the soldier to use his rubber blanket or other port-able matarial for shelter. To facilitate this a cord, D, is secured by a half-hitch to each post at the top on the front or entering side, and somewhat lower at the opposite side to allow the water readily to pass off; or the cord may be removed at the foot end and the covering allowed to sag, so thatthe water may pass off at the foot.

To shelter the untented soldier from dews and the heat of the sun, the ordinary rubber blanket will answer; but to protect him from driving storms his rubber blanket should be of twice the equal area, but of the same total weight, as usual, the rubber blankets used thus not being subject to the same wear and tear as by the custom heretofore of lying on them.

A wall-tent occupied by four soldiers may be arranged, Fig. 3, with four posts, C C C C, at the corners of the tent, inside, two strong bars, L L, at the head and foot, and two lighter braces, M M, at the two remaining sides. The bars L L should have pins on the outer side, over which the loops E E E E can be secured. Thus the whole area of the tent can be made available for sleeping, and quickly changed from day to night, and vice versa,

This cot can readily be converted into a stretcher for soldiers disabled on the field by thrusting a pole through two of the loops, one

Y Arif ,Y i Y Y z t z at: eaehendz zoffthercot, withwa: half-,hitch V4inY each, a pole on each side, having a disconnected stretcher pieceI of wood across each end of the cot, laid upon and across the two poles, with two pegs through it, one at each .point of distance at which the poles are desired to be kept apart when in use.

ernment should not furnish these poles and If Govstretchcrs, they can usually be made on the spot. f

As a modification of the plan already described, the rope B may be secured to heavy canvas A by a strip of lighter canvas passed around t-he rope and sewed to opposite sides secureby Lettersrlatent,:iso-YY Y o Y. Y o o o o Y o i Y, Y,

The portable army hammock-cot, constructed and arranged substantially as described and shown. Y

Witnesses: J. C. DAY.

D. HOGAN, GHAs. MARSH. 

